Human Rights Violations In The Holocaust

A teacher stands in front of his class, waiting for the last few stragglers to trickle in. As the laggards take their seats, he begins to explain their next unit. It is on the Holocaust. His eyes rove over his class. Some seem excited, others confused, still others uncomfortable. He knows what some of the parents teach their children about the Holocaust. Explaining that he has a backup unit planned, in case of controversy, the teacher asks his students to take a silent vote with their eyes closed: should they learn about the Holocaust, or proceed to the backup unit? Teachers, parents, and students struggle every year, every day, with this problem. They wonder how old is old enough, or whether we should teach about it at all. But the thing
As stated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, “A thorough study of the Holocaust helps students think about the use and abuse of power, and the roles and responsibilities of individuals, organizations, and nations when confronted with human rights violations” (1). Human rights violations in the Holocaust includes beating, starving, systematic murdering, and forcing humans to live in their own filth. No human should have to live (or die) in those conditions, but this gives us more reason to study the Holocaust. Children are children now, but they will grow into adults and those adults will grow into leaders, and leaders need to know about the use and abuse of power, as well as human rights and responsibilities, no matter what they will become. The Holocaust can teach them about that, so we need to teach them about it now so that the concepts will become ingrained into
Parents and teachers often argue against teaching about the Holocaust to their children and their students. As stated by Adolescent Literacy, “Teachers often find the Holocaust to be an overwhelming subject to approach with their students. While the Holocaust offers important lessons to today's students, it can be a difficult to find the appropriate amount of information to share with young learners.” However, with careful planning and organization, it is possible to find the correct “version” of the Holocaust to teach—that is, a properly watered down version. If a child is shown all the gory details of the Holocaust and given a full understanding of its torture, it may have a permanent effect on the child. However, with a proper understanding of the limits of what children can see, it is well within reason to teach the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a huge event in history that resulted in the deaths of approximately 6 million Jews. It’s a time that is wrapped in blood and resentment, but we need to learn from it. We can raise awareness for genocide, learn how to be leaders and prevent a second Holocaust by learning about the first one. Teaching the Holocaust might save lives